Earlier this year I took delivery of a Moots Psyclo X RSL with disc brakes. I am not about to rekindle the debate (again!) about disc brakes, but for me and the type of riding that I do, they offer the best in braking both on and off the road. I don’t race anymore, so I don’t care what the UCI think. I ride for fitness, to push myself, for enjoyment and to be sociable. At 190cms, 95kgs and living in Hong Kong, disc brakes have been a revelation. Hong Kong is either up or down, and I am not built like a mountain goat. I have experienced severe brake fade with carbon rims, and discs are absolutely worth the very small weight penalty in terms of performance. I can’t wait for Campagnolo to produce a hydraulic system. Mechanical discs are a step change from rim brakes, particularly on long steep descents, but hydraulics will move the bar even higher again. Whilst they offend the obsessive weight weenies and traditionalists, unless you race and encounter the shortfalls of UCI regulation and wheel swaps, who wouldn’t want more dependable, consistent braking in their cycling life?

I don’t yet have a complete bike weight, but it feels and rides light. It isn’t as light as the Vamoots RSL with rim brakes that it replaced, but there is something somewhat reassuring about the stability and comfort that the bike generates. I have ridden titanium bikes for the past 25 years. I have ridden many during that time (2 Merlins, 9 Sevens, 3 Moots, 2 IF, 1 Serotta), and I have to say that my least favourite bikes have always been the lightest. My Moots RSL and my Seven Aerios (now the Axiom SLX) were both stiff and very light, but quite harsh as a result, and lacked the ride quality that I enjoy so much that keeps me coming back to titanium. This one is not heavy by any stretch of the imagination, but despite an oversized top tube and seat tube it has that buttery ride quality.

Using ENVE tubular XC rims (which are actually their lightest rim of any sort on or off road), the wheels weigh just 1,160 grammes, they are super strong and are light where it counts, at the rim. The rims are testament to what can be achieved where there is no need for a brake track, and I am sure that as disc brakes catch hold, rim technology for the road will continue to evolve even more without the need for reinforcement at the outside of the rim. I have run Chris King hubs for years, but I have been tempted by the weight of Tune this time around. They were a custom option direct from Tune. A King/Kong mountain bike pairing coupled with a Campagnolo freehub. The hubs are appreciably lighter than the King R45s on my other bikes. I didn’t weigh them individually, but my rule of thumb is if I can feel the weight difference in my hands, it is worth it.

The frame is of course immaculately welded as all Moots are. I had it customized with a PF30 bottom bracket, a 30.9 seat tube instead of the standard 27.2 on the stock Vamoots DR, and routed for electronic shifting and an internal battery. It is a bit of a hybrid between a Vamoots and a Vamoots RSL. It is noticeably slimmer in the rear wishbone than the Psyclo X RSL, but the rest of the tubes look a similar diameter.

It has the new post mount brake caliper mounting, which is reckoned to be an improvement over IS. I have IS mountings on my Psyclo X, and I agree that if you want to run the size of rotor that the mount is made for (in this case 140mm front and rear), it is neater. However, running anything other than this still requires an adapter, and I am running 140mm rear and 160mm front (and might potentially move to 160mm at the back too depending on performance, requiring adapters both ends).

I know that it has electronic shifting, disc brakes, a press fit bb, a 44mm headtube, 2cm of spacers etc. which will give the forum trolls plenty to troll about, but to me this lot are perfectly suited to my riding. So much so that my CX bike (Moots Psyclo X RSL), my winter bike (Genesis Equilibrium Disc) and my road bike (Moots Vamoots DR) are all now disc, and both Moots are identically equipped with SR EPS. Now, hurry up Campagnolo and produce some hydraulic disc brakes!

Here’s some shots of the new bike, plus the updated final fleet. A bit dark since they were taken in the lift lobby of our apartment. Will try to get some better shots in the sunshine tomorrow.

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